The Doctors Stolen Princess - Chapter 1: The Palaces of Solitude
by Genevieve.Lace
Summary: Yasmin held her breath, she was hurtling through space with the Doctor this time, without the TARDIS, holding on to one thought, one very important thought.- Whatever you do, Yasmin Khan, do not lose the Doctor..


The Doctor's Stolen Princess - Doctor Who Fan- fiction

Written by Genevieve Lace

-CHAPTER ONE

 **Palaces of Solitude**

Time was confusing, it burned and raged, it was expansive, unforgiving and

always endless- The scream of the vortex as they had been ripped from the

TARDIS was still echoing, hours later in the Doctors ears, she knew it was all she

had, _time_ was everything.

Yasmin held her breath, she was hurtling through space with the Doctor, this

time, without the TARDIS, holding on to one thought, one very important

thought.

Whatever you do Yasmin Khan, do not lose the Doctor..

They appeared with a flash at the foot of the valley like ghosts in a strange mist,

Yasmin lay still, her eyes closed, breathing steadily, a minute or so passed

before she ran her hand across the surface beneath her, hoping to feel solid

ground.

The ground was soft, the consistency of snow.

'Right then' The Doctor said getting to her feet first, feeling incredibly foolish

remembering how excited she had been to take Yasmin on her first single

excursion, or had it been simple arrogance and stupidity that had led them both

to this moment.

Frustration, no, something like anger was rising in the Doctor, a sense of panic,

That was new. 'Focus now... Which way- The Doctor whispered, coaxing herself

to concentrate and seek out a safe passage ahead.

"Yaz open your eyes, the ash is harmless, we need to move..The Doctor spoke

softly, her words all but lost in the storm.

Yasmin kept her eyes closed, counting her heartbeat, listening out for the Doctor

'Yaz, please, follow my voice, we're safe,' The Doctor called out above the

howling wind, loudly this time, with more confidence to reassure herself perhaps,

rather than her companion.

Yasmin dizzy and covered in ash stood in one swift movement- There was a

furnace raging above them. 'Im here, I'm fine, all good' Yasmin replied, dusting

herself off, her mind was racing, she was terrified but she wanted the Doctor to

know that she was ok. Moving quickly, trying not to dwell on the fact that they

had said goodbye to the boys- promising to be back in a few hours.

Life on the TARDIS was unconventional, extraordinary, sometimes dangerous but

always complex- Yasmin had to stick to facts, brushing away doubt, reminding

herself that she had always done better with evidence over emotion. - What

were the facts Yasmin asked herself, listing them, creating a timeline in her

mind's eye.

They had dropped Ryan and Graham off on the planet of the Gates of Greatest

Games, to watch the universe's single most popular sporting event, The Ricying

Tournament'

'It's like football' the Doctor had explained at great length.

Except it wasn't like football at all, there were no nets or balls, and the players

were controlled by a collection of artificial intelligence- It was however the

spectacular view from the luxurious 17 star hotel, The triple Night Towers,

that really sold it to them.

Yasmin and the Doctor had arrived on the Planet _ThAn_ in time to see the 7

sunrises, the Tardis landing reluctantly on a vast midnight blue hillside

overlooking the Ancient Temples- a landscape so beautiful Yasmin had been

stunned into silence.

The Doctor had found this immensely amusing, having complained often that

they all talked too much. She explained dramatically, that since Team TARDIS

came on board, she was never able to get a word in!- Graham had he been

there, would have said ' Doc, Kettle, Black?

Yasmin however was content to keep her increasingly confusing thoughts to

herself for the day and especially away from Ryan and Graham's knowing looks-

Yasmin loved them both, but they knew her too well, they could see through her

lies. - The Doctor on the other hand was so detached and oblivious from her own

feelings, there was no way she could know, besides when it came to the Doctor,

Yasmin had a pretty decent poker face. Something she also needed on the job.

The Doctor had been beaming looking out over the horizon- whilst Yasmin was perched

contentedly next to the TARDIS, running her hands through warm blue glades of

grass. The Doctor busied herself naming the 7 Suns and their correlating

constellations, neither of them were prepared for what happened next- Yasmin

shuddered remembering the sound the TARDIS made, expelling them as the

Doctor attempted to stabilize her.

The TARDIS had a special place in Yaz's heart- it was home, their home. - The

Doctor had explained early on that the TARDIS had always been a little

temperamental- Yasmin thought the TARDIS was just very much like her pilot,

erratic, beautiful and but always _brilliant._

In a single moment everything had changed. Yasmin knew, she needed to stay

calm and focus on the one person who could drown out the sound of universe

screaming- Yasmin fought back the urge to laugh hysterically, remembering how

they had ran for their lives, jumping like Aladdin and the Genie, over the

rooftops of ancient buildings, not 20 mins ago!.

They had been lucky, or the TARDIS had been kind- because she expelled them

over soft sand dunes, next to the Ancient temples. They had then spent several

hours bartering and running from ThAnian assassins- she wasn't sure why

they were running, but since she had known the Doctor, she had trusted her and

when the Doctor said run, that's what they did. - The Doctor had changed her,

made her stronger- that was fact, in the face of certain death, Yasmin felt

decidedly calm.

In fact she felt safe the moment she heard the Doctors voice.

It was enough to give her the strength she needed to believe-

she could defeat anything.

'This way Yaz', said the Doctor, pulling her out of her reverie.

Yasmin knew the Doctor was lost without her TARDIS, the same way most

people would be lost without their phones or cars, except the TARDIS was so

much more, so she approached the subject delicately, trying to keep her voice

normal.

'Doctor, how will the TARDIS know where to go?

'Oh I wouldn't worry about the TARDIS Yaz, she is all set to protect herself'

the Doctors voice was labored as she made her way up a steep hill

'The TARDIS is clever, she would have returned back to her last safe coordinates.'

'I'm sure of it'. The Doctor said firmly.

There was hope the Doctor thought- Ryan and Graham were safe, the TARDIS

would return to them and take them back to Earth.

When there was nothing, there was always _hope_ the Doctor thought vehemently willing

her mind to believe it.

'Can you see the way in?' Yasmin shouted, she was breathing fast, jogging to

keep up with the Doctors pace.

The Doctor turned and gestured that they needed to walk on- seeing a look of

apprehension on Yaz's face the Doctor attempted to wave clumsily and smile.

This was a bad idea- The Doctor thought, she was just grimacing in Yaz's general

direction, thankfully Yasmin wasn't looking her way- It looked like she had

decided it was now or never- and had started to undo her laces- The Doctor

smiled lost for a moment watching her companion resolutely pour sand, out of

her shoe.

Yasmin was unlike any companion the Doctor had traveled with- it _terrified_ her,

but she wouldn't let her own fears get in the way- pulling herself together, the

Doctor focused on her endgame.

It was simple, she would give everything, even her life to get Yaz safe- the

ThAnian Brotherhood had no rightful claim. There was only one option, the

Doctor told herself, no, promising herself- even high priests benefit from _lies._

Taking out her sonic screwdriver, the Doctor blasted the rocks to clear a path

ahead, "the shield above is holding, said the Doctor, ' but we are in the eye of

the storm Yaz, stay close"

The cave entrance glittered in the distance, seeing that the Doctor had stopped,

Yasmin looked up following the Doctors gaze.

Back on earth Yasmin would never have been stupid enough to look directly at

the Sun- on ThAn there were 7 Suns, one had exploded and now it was angry and

scorching, perpetually self destructing- But the science was

different than on Earth, Yasmin was able to safely look up at a dying Sun-

This terrified her as much as it exhilarated her.

Blinking hard, Yasmin felt a welcome rush of pride at the sight of the glass like

dome, high above them- had it not been for the Doctor's quick thinking the

dome of _Catstrillion_ would not have held when the sun destructed- ok so maybe

they had not been pointlessly running around the temples, as

Yasmin had initially remembered- this was good, whatever the Doctors plan

was, it had got them this far- An apocalypse raged above them and all that was

holding Yasmin together was that dome and her belief in the Doctor.

The Doctor stood still, unwilling or unable to take in the view before her- she

took a deep breath, - OK Doctor- no more mistakes.

Yasmin approached quietly, registering the Doctors stillness, she waited.

The problem with standing still, she thought ruefully, was she was gathering

dust, literally covered in purple ash - she began waving her arms around gently,

trying in vain to protect her eyes from the storm- the ash was beginning to

obscure her vision, blinking furiously- Yasmin saw the Doctor move slightly to her

left, as if suddenly aware of her companions struggle behind her- Yasmin was

astonished, she was instantly standing inside a vacuum, debris from the storm

timidly dancing, away from her in the slipstream.

The valley behind them whistled loudly, startling Yasmin, the sound piercing her

already exhausted mind- she was tired, her head hurt, but the women who was

shielding her in that moment meant more to Yasmin, than anyone ever had. So

when the time came, her feet moved effortlessly following the Doctor into the

cave, knowing in that moment that she would follow this woman to the ends of

the universe- Yaz did not have to wait long- the sight that met as the entered

the chamber made her wonder if perhaps that's exactly where they were..

...at the end of the universe.

The cave entrance opened into a large high ceiling domed chamber, 7 pillars

created a wide circumference, casting shadows outlining smaller chambers

within- The floor in the inner circle was warm, soft green marble, slightly

elevated, the walls and pillars caught Yasmin's eyes immediately.

Every surface was illuminated- the walls the brightest, presumably naturally.

Yasmin focused her attention on one spot- It was strange the way it was

flickering, like a HD TV on the _blink-_

that did not make sense- 'definitely translucent!', Yasmin said to herself.

Yaz was excitedly bouncing around the chamber, the Doctor followed her,

scanning the room.

'This is amazing!- Yasmin exclaimed, I mean it's really so very beautiful,

catching the Doctors eye, Yaz beamed.

'Doctor look at the walls, they're... what are they made of?

"Oh these walls are something aren't they!?, the Doctor agreed, 'there's

nothing like it on Earth Yaz'. - 'Well it is a little like liquid diamond, if that was

fortified with gold and ThAnian ruby in volcanic ash- for a century, maybe _two_

the Doctor expanded, now pressing her hands into the wall.

'The ThAnian high priests would isolate themselves in these caves for centuries,

as did the ancient monks before them, they said the walls spoke words of

wisdom.

The Doctor glanced at Yasmin, who was tentatively looking at the wall, she held

her hand an inch away- 'What is this _place'_ she whispered.

The Doctor turned to face her, taking a few steps back, throwing her hands up

eagerly as if she was unveiling a prized piece of art

'This Yaz, the Doctor said is one of the 7' Palaces of solitude . ' - when I say one

of, what I actually mean is, the other's were destroyed- this is the only one..

'That's awful said Yaz, shifting with resolve, placeing both hands on the wall.

The moment Yasmin's hand made contact, she felt relaxed- all her

aches washed away in an instant- She felt fuzzy and warm, the feeling

inexplicably took her to Christmas Day, sat with her family- that moment

when everyone has eaten and too groggy to bicker- laughing together in front of

of the TV - she could almost see the stupid tatty giant stocking's her Dad

hung every year- displayed ridiculously on a string hanging across the dining

room..

Yasmin laughed out loud, tracing the stockings with her hand-, dad refused to let

mum replace them, it drove mum mad- Although Yasmin's family were Muslim,

Christmas was a part of their lives, back on earth it was one of Yasmin's favorite

times of year.

The Doctors expression became dark, her gaze was following Yaz's hand, who

was unknowingly tracing an _inscription_ that was completely invisible to her.

'It is peaceful in here said Yasmin, pulling away from the wall, choosing to circle

the closest pillar instead -' I'll give the old priests that'.

The Doctor began pacing, tracing the edges of the chamber, stopping to lean

down at the base of several water wells- 'The priests had everything they needed

to survive Yaz.'

"There's drinking water, the Doctor explained- 'but careful, it's warm. The water

on the planet is evaporating, the sun is burning, - but that won't _stop_..

The Doctor had stopped talking, becoming abruptly distant- lost in thought.

Yasmin frowned- the Doctor was inevitably going to tell her what was going on,

She couldn't understand why the Doctor was making it so hard. .

''Doctor, why exactly are the assassins looking for us?' said Yasmin, asking the

question directly this time.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably, eventually relenting and meeting Yasmin's

determined gaze.

It was like trying to reason with a tornado Yasmin thought bitterly.

'I hope you know that your _impossible_ ' - Yasmin said, in a low voice - annoyed-

she began shivering uncontrollably, which was odd

because she was sure she was not cold.

The Doctor slid off her coat and placed it tenderly around Yaz's shoulders before

turning away, deliberately hiding her face, Yasmin couldn't help feeling a little

nervous.

'I am not scared' Yasmin called defiantly, please get that thought out of your

head right now', - 'just tell me what the plan is'- Yasmin walked quickly,

closing the gap between them in seconds- the Doctor turned to face her-

backing into the wall.

'Yaz, when we lost the TARDIS, we lost the Translation Matrix- The TARDIS

translates everything around us- when we _landed_ she wasn't stable

enough- _On_ any other planet, fine, you'd be a foreigner, who didn't understand

the language- It's different on ThAn- the language is bound together,

telepathically- weaved into the fabric of reality.

It took me a hour without the TARDIS to integrate. The Doctor said

rubbing her temples.

'Without the Translation Matrix, it would take a human 78, no _98_ years to weave their

mind into the mainframe- that's if they worked out how to do it, it very

complex- it would also probably be too painful, for a _human_ that is,' the Doctor

finished a little pompously.

Yasmin rolled her eyes, she knew the Doctor was not trying to insult her- even

though, technically she was saying her human brain was _mush._

'OK, so what exactly can't I _see?,_ Yasmin said taking a 360- her eyes narrowed

looking at every inch of her surroundings.

The cave was exceptionally bright in an unearthly, supernatural way- her eyes

could see all the way into the furthest corners, all the way up to the darkest

object in the cave- a dense purple _glacier,_ the size of a small building,

suspended as if by magic, melting slowly creating a cascading waterfall in the far

corner towards the west.

Yasmin turned to face the Doctor, taking in at once her wide eyes, full of regret

and fear- this frustrated her. She meant something to the Doctor- she was

sure of that, but Yasmin was also fiercely independent and needed the Doctor to

understand that and to trust her too.

'Doctor, I Yasmin Khan of Park Hill Estate, Sheffield, Earth.. swear on all that is

real and hidden, that I trust you and no matter what happens I do not hold you

responsible in any way'. The Doctor did not respond. Yasmin sighed, 'OK fine, I

know I ask loads of questions, too many? Just tell me what's wrong, however it

makes sense to you' start from the beginning or the end, I really don't mind'.

The Doctor nodded and sat down leaning against the wall, Yasmin followed suit,

reaching out her hand as she settled down, placing it on the Doctors arm.

''We've got each other haven't we, whatever it is- we can face it together,

promised Yasmin.

The Doctor was out of _time,_ how could she begin to explain to Yaz that every

grain of sand and blade of grass on this planet was imprinted with the sacred

 _star,_ a devout religious symbol of prosperity for the 7 kingdoms of ThAn

A symbol that was inexplicably identical to a birthmark on Yasmin's right

shoulder blade.

Closing her eyes the Doctor chastised herself, how did she let this _happen._

The Doctor knew better than any other being, _fate_ was powerful- but in almost

all universes, fate was nothing more than _fiction-_ How would her companion

make sense of it, it barely made sense to the Doctor, and she was a Timelord.

The Doctor opened her eyes to see a look of concern on Yaz's face, placing her

hand over Yasmin's the Doctor said 'Ok so Yaz, do you recall me saying that

there are planets so old in this solar system, the only thing that remains is a

scattering of stardust travelling silently through eons.

Yasmin squeezed the Doctors hand to let her know she was listening, The Doctor

was grateful, she needed to get through this without questions.

'Well some civilizations sang hymns to immortalize their God's or memorized and

transcribed poems into scriptures to immortalize a saint, some weaved symbols

into telepathic fields, connecting galaxies. The Doctor explained.

'This planet- the planet of ThAn too has a Goddess, dating all the way back to

the first ancient folklore, some say it was the birth of several religions in this

region of space- ThAn became the dominant race- growing until they became

an expansive civilization spanning the 7 Kingdoms, spreading out over time across 16 galaxies'.

The Doctor suddenly jumped up and began pacing, now using her hands to

illustrate her words, or simply to expel nervous energy.

'The kingdoms are ruled by 7 of the oldest ThAnian clan- for a millennia, they

have taken their places on the highest councils, acting as temporary custodians

of the kingdoms until the return of the rightful _heir._ The prophecies say the lost

Princess, the savior would herald an end to the famine and give birth to a new

Sun.'

Yasmin was following the Doctors pacing- she understood some of what The

Doctor was saying, but thought it was probably best to wait before asking any

questions..

It was times like this Yasmin really missed her PNB- her Police Officers notebook.

'The TARDIS recognized this as a hostile planet Yaz, The Doctor lowered her

head, thinking hard, -'it's why she wouldn't stabilize, I made a mistake, we

shouldn't have stepped off.

Yasmin wasn't as worried about the TARDIS- but she was skeptical by nature-

something isn't adding up- , how was a _princess-_

 _lost,_ a goddess and a savior, it seemed pretty staged to her, she raised her eyes

to ask the question but the look on the Doctor's face stopped her mid sentence.

Yasmin knew the Doctor was ancient and new, wise and powerful, The Doctor

was a warrior- _kind_ but never vengeful, the look on the Doctors face in that

moment was unnerving, although it was almost entirely unfathomable, Yasmin

saw a look that was not kind.

Doctor? Yasmin whispered

The Doctor looked down at her hands, controlling her thoughts before she

continued.

''During the first famine the ThAnian Brotherhood were formed- they were

descendants from first monks of the old scripture- their single purpose was to

fortify and justify the reign. They were cruel Yaz, creating the ThAnian assassins- a

royal army of sorts. They were desperate, so they sought help from the Pupils

of Sight to forge a sign, a _symbol-_ The Pupils of Sight are sentient beings-

some say the ThAnian Brotherhood forged an alliance at great cost.

The Doctor fell silent.

'How do you know so much about the history of ThAn? Yasmin asked, have you

been here before?

'No' said the Doctor firmly.

'Gallifrey- my home planet was practically neighbors to ThAn..in the next solar

system..

Yasmin's heart skipped a beat, she sat up straighter, trying really hard not to

grin, considering how somber the Doctor sounded.

The Doctor rarely spoke of home- Ryan had told her more than once to stop

bugging the Doctor about Gallifrey, not that she could help it, she had said as

much to Ryan.

Yasmin had wanted to know everything about the Doctor, and would keep asking

until the end of time-or until the Doctor relented and finally took them to

Gallifrey.

Yasmin looked up, the Doctor hesitated then settled on sitting down directly in

front of her.

Yasmin smiled, encouragingly..

'I had a friend, on Gallifrey, whose clan fled ThAn during the first famines. - 'I

spent my childhood listening to her stories, filled with magic and adventure, to a

child's ear, they were fairy tales. - 'In reality her whole clan had been all but

wiped out, the Doctor's voice changed

' ThAn is the closest planet Yaz'.. 'I wanted to - I couldn't take you to Gallifrey..

'Thank you for bringing me here,' Yasmin said quickly leaning forward a little,

wanting desperately to reassure the Doctor, 'so what, things didn't go to _plan,_

we've been in worse spots, right? I mean look at this place Yasmin exclaimed

excitedly, there's a purple waterfall, an actual real life purple waterfall!.

Yasmin, knew the Doctor was dancing around whatever was really bothering her,

this kind of rambling was about the most normal thing the Doctor had done in

several hours.- she smiled relishing the moment of familiarity.

'So you'd heard about the history of ThAn from a friend and now you are

experiencing it firsthand, you've done that loads before haven't you? Yasmin

asked trying to keep her tone light- anything to keep her fear at bay.

'Sort of' replied the Doctor, it's more like, history was lost, so the people of ThAn

tried to make sense of it all, their existence, everything by telling stories.- Today

the 7 Clans of ThAn have enforced a strict adherence to the old scripture, a way

to control the rising resistance I think.

'So it's not really true then? Yasmin asked, the folklore, I mean, about a lost

princes- it's just a fable that the powerful are selling as a religion to subjugate

the people of ThAn reasoned Yasmin, that's just fantastic she thought- the

universe is full of hideous tyrants.

'But Doctor, Yasmin started, 'that doesn't explain _why_ the assassins are chasing

us all over the planet?'

'It does Yaz, and I am sorry, the ThAnian assassins take a blood oath, they can't

stop- the Doctor spoke softly, enunciating every word carefully, Yaz felt a

tingling in her spine, unsure of exactly what was making her feel nervous.

'Doctor, what is it? This lost princess, I mean, is she a person or a god?

Yasmin was backtracking, her mind racing trying to imagine who or what this

object of everyone's obsession was.

'The prophecies have varied depending on the clans they originated from, replied

the Doctor speaking fast now, as if she wanted to get to the end of the story.

'Yaz there was always one constant, one consistent prophecy- in every folklore..

I should have known, the doctor said absentmindedly, running her hands

fervently through her hair, finally resting them in her lap, balled into fists,

measuring her breath, slowly down her heartbeats.

Yasmin pulled up her knees and furrowed her brows, the Doctor had closed her

eyes- Yasmin sat silently, watching.

They sat like that for a hour- Yasmin resting her head on her knees, the Doctor's

coat wrapped around her, keeping her warm.

Team TARDIS had understood really early on that the Doctor sometimes needed

time- time alone, time to think- Yasmin was more than content to give her that,

she wouldn't say a word until the Doctor asked her too- as long as she could see

the Doctor, she was content, in fact she could have happily looked at nothing

else for an eternity.

The Doctor looked so serene in her meditative state- where is an iPhone when

you need one, Yasmin giggled to herself- she was left wondering if the

Doctor had any idea how beautiful she really was.

The Doctor opened her eyes, 'Yaz, sorry was just thinking-

are you ok?, shall I _continue?-_ I promise there's a reason I am telling you all of this'.

Yasmin smirked wondering if the Doctor was aware that she had stopped talking

well over an hour ago..

'Doctor, can _I_ be honest? Yasmin said biting her lip, - The Doctor hesitated, she

knew this look, something Ryan had said once, shoot- she was lost. - integrating her mind into

a hostile telepathic field was one thing, reading this awesome human being in front of her- that

was a science the Doctor had not mastered!

The Doctor narrowed her eyes, slightly tilting her face said, 'of course Yaz- of course,

always'.

Yasmin pouted, only further confusing the Doctor.

'Doctor, I know I am just a simple human being from Earth' Yasmin spoke slowly, deliberately.

'all of this Yasmin continued, her eye wide , gesturing to her surroundings- These new worlds,

the universe, it is terrifying, and exciting but mostly it is something I could never, ever have

even imagined, I actually mean that literally- Before I met you, my brain was stuck

somewhere between parking tickets, and well, the _mundane-_ but you Doctor,

you are not so difficult to wish for.. in fact you are a tiny little bit more

predictable, even _practical'._

The Doctor raised her eyebrows, her mouth opening in surprise, moving her lips,

with no sound coming out- Yasmin roared with laughter.

'I don't know what you mean, retorted the Doctor indignantly, blushing.

Yasmin, continued to laugh, tears streaming down her face- If this was it, this

was Yaz's last night, then that look on the Doctors face was exactly the last thing

she wanted to see.

The Doctor waited for Yaz to regain composure- Yasmin guffawed an apology,

and had tried to stop herself giggling, causing her to hiccup.

'Doctor, I am- sorry, finish the story'- she said, now taking deep breaths

The Doctor nodded, her eyes narrowed- only returning Yasmin's smile fleetingly.

'The Pupils of Sight, were coherent about the lost princess Yaz,' explained the Doctor,

'They prophesied that a woman would arrive at dawn, when the skies would

turn blue and the 7th Sun would fall- they said her hair would be the color of

Puliver.'

'What's a Puliver? Asked Yasmin, imagining a gold colored fruit

'Puliver existed before the 7 suns of ThAn'- some say it's a fixed point in the

universe, where this planet was born.

'So its the planet?' asked Yasmin, trying not to look too confused.

'Puliver is a dark star, or a suspended black hole depending on where you stand'

said the Doctor continuing as if she had been uninterrupted.

'The prophecies all state that the goddess would fly with _stardust_ and leave

 _starlight_ in her wake, the Doctor shook her head slightly and said' the prophecy

said her eyes would be sprinkled with time'

'In ThAnian tongue 'she is called VAnik; a goddess who will rise with the symbol

of prosperity adorning her wings, ending the famine, heralding a new dawn.

The Doctor was taking shallow breaths deliberately, afraid she would forget to

breathe- her mind evaluating, re evaluating, everything she knew and all that

she had _forgotten._

'There were signs Yaz, I've been reckless- the Doctor held Yasmins gaze, pleading

'I need you to be _brave-_ The moment you landed here, the atmosphere, every inch-

of this planet recognized the arrival of _VhAnik_.

There was an eerie silence, even the soft rushing of the waterfall fell silent-

Yasmin did not move, she held her breath frantically trying to make sense-

sense of the Doctors words.

Maybe she had fallen asleep and was dreaming, Yasmin's mind raced, checking the

facts- she hadn't liked the look of the monk in the temple earlier, the one Doctor

had bartered with for the jump drive. The Doctor had insisted-

they needed to get to the cave- _Yes-_ that made perfect sense, she had hit her head

when they had crashed into the valley- she was still lying there..

..this was a weird dream.

'Yaz, did you hear what I said? The Doctor was close now' her voice still distant-

Yasmin was struggling to make out her words- The Doctor didn't have time to

find the right ones.

'Yaz, I'm sorry, the ThAnian Brotherhood were alerted the moment we arrived,

we triggered an alarm the Doctor said weakly, do you understand?.

Yasmin was feeling dizzy again - No I don't understand she said, how did the

TARDIS landing here trigger an alarm?

The Doctor looked like she did want to not respond, perhaps she did not like the

answer Yasmin thought wryly.

The ThAnian brotherhood have sacrificed their oldest Sun' the Doctor said-

as if in answer to Yasmin's question- they have taken steps publicly- They must

have found a way to manipulate the space continuum, that's what forced the

TARDIS to activate protocol 3.

'Doctor are you saying we are trapped and that a lunatic group of assassins are

chasing us- _because_ of some fable, why? because we arrived at the wrong place

at the wrong time? Yasmin could feel her temper rising.

'Yes, no not exactly' said the Doctor, 'well yes, but no- we're safe, in here, for now.'

When Yasmin did not respond, the Doctor continued..

'The palaces of solitude were said to isolate its inhabitants- outside everything

on this planet, every living organism is connected through a low telepathic field.

Technically we should be invisible, off the radar'.

'Maybe something else set off the alarm, maybe they've burned a sun for no

sane reason shouted Yasmin, she was angry.

The Doctor had been travelling with her companions for several months now, Yasmin

by far the was the most resilient of the 3, she was also infuriatingly stable,

calm- but so stubborn- Yaz's anger was temporary, there was no need

challenge her, or ask her to calm down. Instead the Doctor looked up towards

the top of the waterfall.

Yasmin's eyes followed the Doctors gaze, settling on the giant purple glacier- it

looked like someone had frozen _Ribena_ and it was melting in slow motion, it was

absurd- focusing on the insane was actually helping.

The Doctor watched Yasmin concentrate her anger on the glacier- fear and anger

was boiling in the pit of the Doctors stomach too- but she knew she was not

mistaken. She would have to show Yaz for her to understand their true

predicament.

The Doctor was panicking, there was no TARDIS, no translation matrix, Yasmin

was unable to read or even see the inscriptions on the cave walls that

vividly describe a star shaped birthmark, nor had she seen the etchings in the

distance on the hills of MArden as they had passed through the Valley.

The Doctor's feet had faltered for a moment seeing the striking likeness in the

grotesque grand statute, towering over the entrance of the cave- leading to this

temporary sanctuary. The Doctor could not lose- she knew an army was coming-

any minute, with one intent, to mercilessly rip The Doctors _soul_ away from her body.

Without warning there was suddenly movement above them, The Doctor moved

fast- Yasmin had not heard the assassins war horns in the distance, she was still

trying to compose her anger. - Seeing the Doctor move, Yasmin stood up,

acutely aware the Doctor was responding to danger.

'Yaz do you trust me the Doctor whispered a little forcefully, she was close,

Yasmin could feel her breath on her cheek, 'yes, more than I trust myself,

she said without hesitation- 'which is a first actually, I've always trusted

myself more than anyone, even back at the academy', Yaz was rambling and

speaking incredibly fast.

The Doctor placed a finger on Yaz's lips to silence her, moving them silently into

a shadow, crouching down- the Doctor took out her sonic

screwdriver- Yasmin silently sank to her knees with the doctor, her heartbeat

deafening- echoing in her ears.

'We will have to leave Yaz- we have minutes before they make their way into the

cave- but before we go, I need you to see what I can- the Doctor spoke in a frantic whisper.

'I'm going to place my hand on your temples, it's safe,- you will be able to see

through my eyes, it will only be for a moment- I will be here the whole time'.

Yaz reached out and taking the Doctors hands in one swift movement, placed

them on either side of her temples, tilting her head forward, closing her eyes-

'fine- lets see what all the fuss is about?', whispered Yasmin.

The Doctor took a deep breath. Yasmin felt light headed- then intense heat shot

through her head, Yasmin exhaled and the Doctor let go.

A second passed like a lifetime, Yasmin's eyes shot open, colors were luminous,

the gold sharper, vivid, separating itself from the silver, words were appearing

clearly visible inscribed along the walls, an image that Yasmin _knew,_ she gasped

and in an instant understood what the Doctor had been struggling to say..

The sacred symbol inscribed on every atom on this planet was also inscribed on

 _her_ body- the ThAnainan brotherhood, had set a trap and she had fallen pray

the moment she stepped foot onto the surface if their planet.

This makes no sense- I mean it's obviously a case of mistaken identity- I'm _human'-_

Yasmin was freaking out, shaking her head, colours were returning back to

normal.

The Doctor was focusing on the glacier, averting her eyes from Yaz's questions.

'I am taking you _home_ Yaz, I promise', said the Doctor firmly,- 'I do not

recognize the authority of the ThAnain Brotherhood or their high priests'.

Yasmin tried to say something in response, but faltered,

looking into the Doctors determined eyes- she realized her fear had abated-

she just needed to focus on the Doctor, everything else could literally go to hell.

'This Planet must have been rigged to recognize _you_ ' theorized the

Doctor, - she was moving quickly around Yasmin in a circular motion, making random

calculations whilst Yasmin stood averting her eyes from the door to the chamber.

'But it's not just that, the Doctor persisted, looking at Yaz, marveling for a

moment at how brave her companion was.

The Doctor spoke gently, considering her next words carefully- 'Yaz, they perfectly describe

you, in their folklore, in their songs, I'd forgotten...'

Yasmin scoffed, 'seriously there are songs about me, that's a joke, there's

nothing special about me- you can't rhyme Yasmin with anything!'.-

The Doctor despite herself smiled, smugly.

'Ok, I admit I have a birthmark, shrugged Yasmin- 'sure it looks like a symbol

someone once made up a long time ago- it's a coincidence at best, you're not

seriously suggesting that I'm some sort of lost _princess?'_ Yasmin asked

incredulously crossing her arms, the Doctor glared at her- This time, Yasmin

heard the unmistakable screech of the war horns first.

The ThAnaian assassins had reached the mouth of the cave- their war cries,

artillery and heavy footsteps echoing off the 7 pillars.

Yaz and the Doctor had minutes..

'I know you have a plan Doctor', Yasmin said firmly, handing the Doctor back her

coat.

'Why then would I be scared, even for a moment- she said softly, winking at

the Doctor- The Doctor took Yasmin's outstretched hand and bracing herself,

with her free hand, raised her sonic screwdriver towards the purple glacier.

'Yasmin Khan, you should know something- you are not always right- in fact you

are definitely wrong about this one thing', the Doctor assured her, turning it

over then gripping her sonic tighter in her hand.

Yasmin broke in to her widest grin of the day and looked up at the _Ribena_ slush.

the Doctor was counting down to something..Yasmin held the Doctors

hand tighter, bracing herself for whatever was next.

'Yaz' whispered the Doctor, 'you are exceptionally special- maybe they're right,

and you are a princess, a goddess and a savior just do me a favor- remember

this- the ThAnaian Brotherhood is too late- I'm the Doctor Yaz, hold on tight,

because I've already _stolen_ you away'.

Note from Author:

Thank you for taking the time to read this rather long chapter- this is my first dabble at Fan Fic- feel free to leave feedback. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. G.L


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